Frozen Planet II

Frozen Worlds

11 Sep 2022


Species features in each Sequence

1
Emperor penguin
2
Weddell seal, Killer whale (Type B)
3
Pallas's cat, Brandt's vole, Mongolian gerbil
4
Siberian tiger, Ussuri boar, Ussuri brown bear, Ussuri black bear
5
Muskox, Grizzly bear
6
Hooded seal
7
Polar bear, Eastern bearded seal, Hooded seal

# Species by IUCN Conservation Status

1
Emperor penguin
Aptenodytes forsteri
NT
Emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen WorldsEmperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen WorldsEmperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen Worlds
Neumayer Station, Atka Bay, Antarctica

2
Weddell seal
Leptonychotes weddellii
LC
Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen WorldsWeddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen WorldsWeddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen Worlds
Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica

2
Killer whale
Orcinus orca
DD
Killer whale (Orcinus orca) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen WorldsKiller whale (Orcinus orca) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen WorldsKiller whale (Orcinus orca) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen Worlds
Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica

What's especially exciting about this sequence is that it features the same pod of whales that the BBC filmed on the original Frozen Planet, according to an interview with Executive Producer Mark Brownlow [1]: "the team found the same pod, identifying them from photos that showed their markings and scars. 'The guides worked on previous sightings, some of which dated back years. It was a real cat-and-mouse game,' says Mark. 'It was remarkable to find this one pod in thousands of miles of ocean." In that series too, they were filmed employing the "wave-washing" technique on helpless Weddell seals, but this is the first time that the entire array of hunting strategies used by the pod, including breaking up larger ice floes, driving pieces out to open water etc. has been put to screen and also the first time this behaviour has been filmed from directly above the action using drones.
[Link 1]
3
Pallas's cat
Otocolobus manul manul
LC
Pallas's cat (Otocolobus manul manul) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen WorldsPallas's cat (Otocolobus manul manul) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen WorldsPallas's cat (Otocolobus manul manul) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen Worlds
Sukhbaatar Province, Mongolia

This is the first time I've seen a Pallas's cat in an Attenborough doc! They did feature in BBC's 2018 documentary "Big Cats" [1], but that was narrated by actor Bertie Carvel.
[Link 1]
3
Brandt's vole
Lasiopodomys brandtii
LC
Brandt's vole (Lasiopodomys brandtii) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen WorldsBrandt's vole (Lasiopodomys brandtii) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen WorldsBrandt's vole (Lasiopodomys brandtii) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen Worlds
Sukhbaatar Province, Mongolia

This is a Brandt's vole according to the Frozen Planet II media pack [1].
[Link 1]
3
Mongolian gerbil
Meriones unguiculatus
LC
Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen WorldsMongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen WorldsMongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen Worlds
Sukhbaatar Province, Mongolia

This is a Mongolian gerbil according to the Frozen Planet II media pack [1].
[Link 1]
4
Siberian tiger
Panthera tigris tigris
EN
Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen WorldsSiberian tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen WorldsSiberian tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen Worlds
Durminskoye Reserve, Khabarovsk Krai, Russia

Pretty much every shot of the tigers in this sequence feature a different individual (based on differences in stripe patterning) - it's great to see how many animals the filmmakers were able to find. It's hard to say which shots were filmed in the Land of the Leopard National Park and which in the Durminskoye Reserve, though the Frozen Planet II media pack [1] makes it clear both locations were used in this episode. A herd of Siberian musk deer (Moschus moschiferus) is also seen fleeing a tiger as it walks into the area of forest where they were grazing.
[Link 1]
4
Ussuri boar
Sus scrofa ussuricus
LC
Ussuri boar (Sus scrofa ussuricus) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen Worlds
Durminskoye Reserve, Khabarovsk Krai, Russia

4
Ussuri brown bear
Ursus arctos lasiotus
LC
Ussuri brown bear (Ursus arctos lasiotus) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen WorldsUssuri brown bear (Ursus arctos lasiotus) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen Worlds
Durminskoye Reserve, Khabarovsk Krai, Russia

At 27:00, an Ussuri brown bear (Ursus arctos lasiotus) is shown scratching against a tree that a tiger later comes to sniff and rest at. The narration misidentifies this animal as a black bear, but the Asian black bear (which shows up in the shots that follow) is distinguished by its white V-shaped chest mark, which the brown bear initially on screen lacks completely.
4
Ussuri black bear
Ursus thibetanus ussuricus
VU
Ussuri black bear (Ursus thibetanus ussuricus) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen WorldsUssuri black bear (Ursus thibetanus ussuricus) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen WorldsUssuri black bear (Ursus thibetanus ussuricus) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen Worlds
Durminskoye Reserve, Khabarovsk Krai, Russia

5
Muskox
Ovibos moschatus
LC
Muskox (Ovibos moschatus) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen WorldsMuskox (Ovibos moschatus) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen WorldsMuskox (Ovibos moschatus) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen Worlds
Nunavut, Canada

5
Grizzly bear
Ursus arctos horribilis
LC
Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen WorldsGrizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen WorldsGrizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen Worlds
Nunavut, Canada

6
Hooded seal
Cystophora cristata
VU
Hooded seal (Cystophora cristata) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen WorldsHooded seal (Cystophora cristata) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen WorldsHooded seal (Cystophora cristata) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen Worlds
West Ice, Greenland

7
Polar bear
Ursus maritimus
VU
Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen WorldsPolar bear (Ursus maritimus) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen WorldsPolar bear (Ursus maritimus) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen Worlds
Svalbard, Norway

7
Eastern bearded seal
Erignathus barbatus barbatu
LC
Eastern bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus barbatu) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen WorldsEastern bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus barbatu) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen WorldsEastern bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus barbatu) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen Worlds
Svalbard, Norway

7
Hooded seal
Cystophora cristata
VU
Hooded seal (Cystophora cristata) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen WorldsHooded seal (Cystophora cristata) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen WorldsHooded seal (Cystophora cristata) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen Worlds
Svalbard, Norway